HOYLAKE, England – In glorious, idyllic conditions, where nae wind and nae rain was blowing in off the Irish Sea and picturesque postcard images were abundant in every direction, players in the opening round of the 143rd British Open were licking their chops and chewing up the course.

The sharp teeth of sun-drenched Royal Liverpool Golf Club, otherwise known as Hoylake, were blunted Thursday in the soft breezes as flagsticks were still instead of blowing sideways.

As a result, there were 48 of the 156 players in red numbers and another 17 who matched par by day's end, led by pace-setting Rory McIlroy at 6-under-par 66.

A stroke back was youngster Matteo Manassero. In at 68 were world No. 1 Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia, Jim Furyk, Shane Lowery, Brooks Koepka and the Molinari bothers, Edoardo and Francesco.

Tiger Woods and Rickie Fowler were in a large group at 69. Defending champion Phil Mickelson, who hit his second shot out of bounds on the 18th hole, shot 74.

"It's definitely the easiest it's going to play all week," Edoardo Molinari said.

While the wind did pick up a bit in the afternoon, Hoylake wasn't Hoylake.

But if high winds and rainy conditions arrive as expected late Friday and then stay through Saturday, Hoylake will be Hoylake.

And that means a bear of a course, where the wind will blow errant tee shots into heather and pot bunkers and challenge every aspect of a player's game.

Until then, however, with warnings scrolling across televisions cautioning viewers to intake fluids, wear a hat and apply sunscreen if they venture into the hot conditions, players are going to attack the defenseless links.

"Anytime you shoot 66 at the Open Championship, you're going to be pleased," McIlroy said. "We had perfect scoring conditions out there this morning. There wasn't much wind early on. There were plenty of opportunities to make birdies. I was able to take a few of them. Another great start and I'm looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow."

Tomorrow, however, is Friday, and that's been McIlroy's bugaboo this season. On six Fridays he hasn't broken 40 for nine holes. This unusual stat started to get to him about two months ago and since then, he's been scratching his head and pulling at his unruly hair trying to figure out what's going on. He's even gotten advice on what to do to break the pattern.

McIlroy also has the memory of shooting a blistering 63 to grab the first-round lead in the 2010 Open at St. Andrews, only to fire an 80 on Friday in the second round in high winds, shooting matching 40s.

"Whenever I go out and play on Thursdays there's not really many expectations. You're going out there and you're trying to find a rhythm, and you're just trying to play your way into the round," McIlroy, a former No. 1 and two-time major champion. "When you go back out on Friday after a good score, you know what you can do on the golf course. So you're going out with some expectations. … I've just got to start off trying to hit solid shots the first few holes and play my way into the round, just like I did today.

"But really just take it one hole at a time, one shot at a time. I know everyone says it and you've heard it a million times, but it's true. That's what I'll be trying to do tomorrow."

Woods, who won the Open here in 2006 and made his first start in a major in 11 months, started his round with two bogeys but kept patient and then blitzed the back nine, making five birdies in a six-hole stretch.

"I felt good about a lot of things I did out there today," said Woods, who had back surgery March 31 and had played just two competitive rounds in four months heading into the Open. "Especially coming back after that start I had, to fight myself back into the championship.

Garcia felt pretty good about his round, too. He's looking for his first major championship in 64 starts. The last time the Open was at Hoylake he finished in a tie for fifth. He's been close many times and is reminded of that often.

"I think that with experiences you have, yeah, you try to kind of ease up a little bit," Garcia said about pressing in majors. "At the end of the day I realize that I'm out there trying to do my best. Obviously some days I feel it better than others. But if I'm doing my best I can't ask myself for anything else.

" … It's only the first day. There's so many things that can happen out there. It would be nice to put myself in a position to have a solid chance on Sunday, like I did a couple of times, and like I did in 2006 here. But still it's only the first day. So we're going to go a little step by step and hopefully keep shooting good scores, depending on how the weather is, and then see, like I said, if we have a good, solid chance on Sunday."

PHOTO GALLERY: THURSDAY AT THE BRITISH OPEN

Tiger Woods leans on his putter after missing a putt on the 14th during his first round at The 143rd Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. (Photo: Ian Rutherford USA TODAY Sports)

Official starter Ivor Robson announces the first group of the Championship during the first round at the 143rd Open Championship at The Royal Liverpool Golf Club. (Photo: Steven Flynn USA TODAY Sports)

David Howell plays the opening tee shot of the Championship on the 1st hole during the first round at the 143rd Open Championship at The Royal Liverpool Golf Club. (Photo: Steven Flynn USA TODAY Sports)

Tiger Woods waits to play his second shot on the 12th hole during the first round of the British Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. Woods shot 69 in the first round. (Photo: Cathal McNaughton Reuters)

Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the British Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. Woods won the tournament in 2006 the last time it was at Hoylake. (Photo: CATHAL MCNAUGHTON REUTERS)

Tiger Woods walks off the third tee during the first round of The 143rd Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Woods won the Open in 2006 the last time it was played at Royal Liverpool. (Photo: Tom Pennington Getty Images)

Tiger Woods waits on the 1st tee during his first round on the opening day of the 2014 British Open Golf Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Course. Woods started his round bogey-bogey-par. (Photo: Paul Ellis AFP/Getty Images)

HOYLAKE, ENGLAND - JULY 17: Tiger Woods of the United States lines up on the 1st green during the first round of The 143rd Open Championship at Royal Liverpool on July 17, 2014 in Hoylake, England. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 497278067 ORIG FILE ID: 452264480 (Photo: Matthew Lewis Getty Images)

Tiger Woods tees off on the 1st hole during the first round of The 143rd Open Championship at Royal Liverpool. Woods won the tournament in 2006 the last time it was played on this course. (Photo: Matthew Lewis Getty Images)

India's Anirban Lahiri watches his shot from the 1st tee during his first round on the opening day of the 2014 British Open Golf Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Course. (Photo: Andrew Yates AFP/Getty Images)

Justin Leonard of the US looks at his putt on the 3rd green during the first day of the British Open Golf championship at the Royal Liverpool golf club, Hoylake, England, Thursday July 17, 2014. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: HOY116 (Photo: Alastair Grant AP)

Edoardo Molinari of Italy reacts after missing a birdie putt on the sixth green during the first round of the British Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake. (Photo: Stefan Wermuth Reuters)